Future Hopes
by Linrei26
Summary: One-shot fic. An alternative ending for OUAT Season 3 Finale. Swan Queen edition. NO CS kiss.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

I just watched the season finale...

**Ok, I needed to fix this!**

**Warning: SPOILER ALERT! **

**Setting:** Outside the Dinner. No CS kiss. Regina sees Marian reunite with Hood and she runs away, but Emma follows her.

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**Future Hopes**

"Wait! Regina please!" Emma begs capturing one of the darker woman's wrists and successfully stopping her from running away from her.

"What?" Regina barks and Emma feels her heart contorts in pain. This was her Regina. So different from the Evil Queen she saw in Fairy Tale Land. She could see the difference just by looking into Regina's eyes. These eyes were so deep, so strong and yet so broken and vulnerable, opposite to the coldness and hate she saw reflected in the Queen's eyes.

Regina is crying. Emma had caused those tears. She never intended to, but she had.

"I didn't know, please… I'm so sorry. Please Regina…" Emma is not sure what is she expecting from the woman, but she was sure she wasn't expecting a laugh. Although cynical, Regina laughs while trying to wipe the persistent tears that keep falling down her cheeks.

"Regina?" Emma asked warily.

"I'm not mad at you, Emma." The witch says with a sad smile. "I'm mad at myself." Emma is confused by her words, so she stays silent. She waits for Regina to continue while she unconsciously moves closer to the older woman.

"I thought he was it." Regina said with a broken sob. "I thought he was my happy ending." Her words are so broken and sad, that Emma can't help herself anymore.

She hugs her. She hugs Regina with all her might and Regina… Regina grips at her as if her life depended on it.

Emma lets Regina cry on her shoulder and she can't help but feel guilty to shatter the woman's dreams, and yet she winces when she realizes a part of her feels… relieve.

She feels confused by the sudden realization. She feels happy that Robin and Regina are no longer together. She feels happy that is she who is comforting the woman in her distress. She feels happy that she is not in the presence of the Evil Queen, but of Regina Mills, the mother of her son.

"I'm sorry." Emma keeps repeating while trying to ignore her inner turmoil.

"What now?" Regina's harsh voice makes Emma tremble with both fear and excitement. _But why? _

"Maybe he wasn't." Emma says and she frowns when she notice the quivering of her voice.

"What?" Regina pulls away and stares at Emma with inquisitiveness. When their eyes met, Emma notices how dry her throat feels and how rapid her heart was beating.

_Couldn't be? _

When Emma saw the Evil Queen in her trip back time, she missed Regina. And when she finally realized that she wanted to go back to her family, she was surprised that the black-haired woman was within her inner vision of her family.

Now while holding the gaze of the broken woman she understood the reason why.

Emma cared for Regina. Maybe more that she would admit herself do. She felt more with holding Regina within her arms than by kissing Hook in his pirate ship. But, what this meant to the blonde? It meant that she would do the best she could to try to give Regina her happy ending.

"Maybe he wasn't your happy ending." Emma said with new found security. "You are not the same person you were back then, Regina. Maybe the fairy dust just worked at that time and place. Maybe… maybe you haven't found it yet." Emma said daring to raise her hand and cup the woman's cheek with it.

"Maybe… maybe you just have to… look further." Emma moved her thumb drying wet cheeks. "You already opened your heart to love. Maybe it is closer than you think."

Regina stared at her with glimmering eyes before pulling herself completely away from the blonde's embrace. Emma would have understood the action as one of rejection, if it wasn't for the beautiful blush that crept over pale cheeks.

"Do you really think so, Emma?" Regina looked up at her once again, but this time her eyes were shinning with something else. They were shinning with hope.

"You deserve it, Regina. The real deal. I only hope for you to get it."

"And what about you?" Regina asked with curiosity. "What about your happy ending, Emma?"

"Have you forgotten?" Emma chuckled while moving her hand to tuck a lost strand of dark hair behind the woman's ear. "You've already gave me one. I thought I lost it when I recovered my memories, but I was wrong." She beamed at the woman who couldn't help but smile in return.

"You were?"

"Yeah… you see I didn't lose my happy ending. On the contrary, it is better now."

"And why is that?" Regina asked this time with wariness.

"Because now it's not only me and Henry, now we are all together as a family,"

"We?"

"Yes." Emma smiles taking one of Regina's globed hands. "A family. Together."

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**Please review!**


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